HOW to create and keep housing affordable in Purbeck was just one of the issues discussed at a national conference led by a Dorset MP.

Jim Knight, who represents South Dorset and is also rural affairs minister, talked about how the problem affected Studland and Worth Matravers in particular at the National Rural Conference which took place at the Springfield Hotel in Wareham.

Mr Knight has set up the Affordable Rural Housing Commission with the help of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and is consulting with the public on the best way to deal with the issue.

He said: "The Purbeck area and South Dorset in general are real hotspots for that problem.

"Villages like Worth Matravers and Studland, where the problem is very acute, were used as examples in the conference.

"One of the models of best practice was also in Dorset, out towards Bridport, where they have formed a community trust.

"This project is seeking for the community to own the land in the form of a trust. Then the properties are bought and sold as buildings but not as land, separating the land cost from the building costs puts it into a different bracket."

Mr Knight said the Affordable Rural Housing Commission was still seeking views on the issue from the public and would report back to him at Easter when they would then come up with a recommendation for the best way forward.

He added: "One of the key challenges of this is that you can find ways of making housing affordable for one generation, but keeping it affordable is a real challenge."

First published: November 11, 2005